Green Swamp Tour with Croatan Group

Date and Time:
Sat, May 9, 2026; 10:00 AM (Eastern)

Organized By: Croatan Group

Location: Green Swamp Preserve, 673 Green Swamp Rd NW, Supply, NC 28462

Map | Directions

Event Organizers:
Ralph Tramontano
   rrtramon@gmail.com

Green Swamp Preserve Tour
Date and Time: Saturday, May 9, 10 am
Organized By: Croatan Group
Event Organizer: Ralph Tramontano, rrtramon@gmail.com

The Nature Conservancy's Green Swamp Preserve is almost 15,655 acres and contains, in addition to dense evergreen pocosin shrub bogs, some of the country’s finest examples of Longleaf Pine Savannas. This ecosystem dominated by Pinus palustris once covered some 92 million acres of the Southeast, ranging from southeast Virginia to southern Florida and west along the coastal plain to east Texas. But since the arrival of Europeans it has been reduced to as little as only 3% of its original distribution. However, a majority of surviving longleaf is now on private lands, and thanks to the successful partnerships across the region the total amount left, according to The Nature Conservancy, has nearly doubled. This has led to the down-listing of the formerly endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker this past year. There are many imperiled species that would face extinction if longleaf pine savannas continue to be logged and developed across the southeast. It is fire dependent ecosystem. Frequent fires caused by lightning strikes shaped the longleaf forest for thousands of years, resulting in a unique forest home to many endemic plants and animals that require fire or habitats created by fire to survive. This includes many species of carnivorous plants and orchids found no where else. According to James Fowler, in his book Orchids, Carnivorous Plants and Other Wild Flowers of the Green Swamp, North Carolina, 21 species of carnivorous plants and 26 species of orchids, and countless other species of wildflowers can be found there. Today, the Green Swamp's Longleaf Pine Savannas are maintained through regular controlled burns, without which this ecosystem and the plants and animals dependent upon it would disappear.

During our visit Page Turner, a NC Wildlife Federation Conservation Coordinator, will be our guide. Page will start our tour with a review of the natural history of the longleaf pine ecosystems across the southeast, highlighting some of the characteristic fauna that have lived in the landscape, how logging and habitat fragmentation have changed the ecology of the region, and what the state of our longleaf systems are today. In this ecology-minded tour, she'll be pointing out how different plant communities tell us about where the water is, fire frequency, and how nutrients are being stored in the soil at a glance. She'll talk about indicator species, what they indicate, and what makes Green Swamp special compared to other remnants like Croatan and Holly Shelter. She’ll provide a handout that serves as a scavenger hunt for carnivorous plants—the tour will be a bit like a bio blitz where we try to notice as many species as possible and interpret what they tells us about the relationships in the environment. For those who would like to recharge or regroup afterwards, there will be a lunch trip to Brunswick Beer & Cider in Leland after the tour.

Page Turner, a NCWF Conservation Coordinator, previously worked on eight research projects at the University of NC at Greensboro. A systems biologist and community ecologist, Page found her passion for biology studying understory community dynamics of the longleaf pine savanna. Working on her master’s degree in sustainability, Page was motivated to pursue a career protecting wildlife impacted by climate change and industry while working with organizations in the Cape Fear River watershed.

For more info and to sign up contact Ralph Tramontano, rrtramon@gmail.com. No fee, but the number of participants will be limited.

Level: Easy

Cancellation Policy: Steady rain cancels